By combining words with images, the graphic novel Maus makes full use of iconic illustrations to reveal a historical reality of the Holocaust. In comics, an icon refers to “any image used to represent a person, place, thing, or idea.” In Maus, Spiegelman developed a series of anthropomorphic images, or icons, to represent the racial groups involved in the Holocaust. Spiegelman's decision to adopt what appear to be universal representations as icons for the main characters therefore raises an important question: in what way is the Holocaust best represented by Spiegelman's anthropomorphic icons of racial groups like the mice , cats and pigs? Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay With the use of animal icons, Speigelman not only establishes an identifiable image of the racial groups involved in the Holocaust, but also provides emotional protection for readers by describing terrible situations in a simplified way. In the third frame on page 33 of Maus, Spiegelman shows two mice holding a sign reading "I'm a Dirty Jew." » Through this, the reader can immediately recognize the extent to which the Jews are characterized as mouse animals. The other major racial group, the German Nazis, are shown in the same panel as a group of cats with piercing eyes and teeth. In subsequent panels, readers can see cats in Nazi uniforms beating crying mice with clubs and suffocating the little mice with their claws. Spiegelman further emphasizes the overwhelming and pervasive German authority over the Jews by placing the swastika symbol as the background of the frames. Indeed, these intrusive and brutal depictions of the extermination of the Jews could be distracting if the characters were drawn like real humans. Nevertheless, because Spiegelman's animal icons rightly distance us from the painful and grave agony of the Holocaust, they reveal the significant details of the tragedy without inflicting emotional disruption on readers. Spiegelman's use of simplified icons is not only limited to depictions of the two main opposing groups involved in the Holocaust, but also to demonstrate the ambiguous position of the Polish people during the Holocaust from Vladek's perspective. Even though Mr. Lukowski, the Polish caretaker at Vladek's father's old house, provides Vladek and Anja with temporary shelter, not all Poles willingly supported Jew's survival. For example, while Vladek is relieved to see that there are still "nice people", an angry pig curses them through the window and shouts: "There are Jews in the yard!" Police!" Later in the story, readers can continue to see that the Poles care much more about their own safety and help Vladek and Anja simply for money. Because the art depicts the Poles on the basis from his father's words, such depictions of the Poles' actions in Maus clearly reflect Vladek's bitterness towards the Poles. As a comic strip is an "empty shell" into which we readers can immerse ourselves in the cartoon, the hostile pigs successfully serve to depict Vladek's impression of the Poles during the Holocaust. With iconic depictions of social groups in Vladek's narrative, Spiegelman further reflects the rampant racism during the Holocaust. entire race in one horde.